


The Corn Maze

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Corn Mazes, Gen, M/M, Typical Night Vale Weirdness, how weird can corn mazes get
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 20:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20823641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: A corn maze appears in Night Vale....What could go wrong?





	The Corn Maze

**Author's Note:**

> I recently caught up on WTNV and am in the mood to write some things (I don't think I've written a fic for this fandom since.... ep. 63?? That was back during the Lot 37 thing/the year Carlos was in the Desert Otherworld). I'm also in a fall mood, so I have a list of fall prompts I keep looking at for ideas. One said corn maze, so that got me thinking, and... well, yeah. 
> 
> Also I didn't intend for it to turn out as long as it did lol
> 
> So, this takes place between episodes 76 and 77, and is pretty much what is says on the tin; a corn maze that appears in Night Vale (also let's just believe for the sake of this this fic there's just a big empty lot or something next to the bowling alley). This fic also does include two OCs I made up just because. 
> 
> For the weather- shortly before I started writing this I went to a Com Truise show and there was a guy by the name of Photay who started his set with the song I have chosen here for the weather. Also I am convinced time does not exist when the weather plays.

“Carlos, what’s a ‘corn maze’?”

His perfectly imperfect boyfriend gave him a curious look as he picked up their coffee from the counter. “Why do you ask?”

“There’s a flyer-” Cecil steps to the side and plucks a sheet of paper from the bulletin board next to the counter. He shows it to Carlos, who is still holding their coffee. “It’s advertising for something called a corn maze. Though I don’t recall that being there when we walked in...”

The bell above the door rings and they both look up to see what looked like someone wearing a pumpkin on their head rushing out of the coffee shop. Cecil thought nothing of it and turned his attention back to the flyer.

“Anyway, sounds like a strange thing to advertise.”

“Oh, it’s not strange at all.” Carlos replied. “A corn maze is pretty much a maze made out of corn; a popular fall time attraction. People go in, wander around, and try to find the exit, like any other sort of maze.”

Cecil couldn’t help but chuckle. “Still sounds strange. Wandering around in corn for amusement?” 

“Couldn’t tell you who invented the concept ether, in case you ask.”

Cecil folds up the paper and tucks it into his coat pocket before taking his coffee from Carlos. They left the coffee shop to continue walking in the direction of the radio station. Carlos wanted to take advantage of the fall weather (‘fall weather’ in the sense that it was slightly less warm than in the summer season) and offered to walk him to work before heading back to the lab. Though their conversation still lingered on the corn maze, Carlos having let on he went to a corn maze once when he was younger.

“You’ve been in one? What’s it like?” Cecil asked.

“Mostly corn, partial existential dread. Corn mazes feel like a liminal space to me, but they were fun to run around in as a kid.” Carlos said. “Wonder who could have set up a corn maze here in Night Vale? For starters, it is kind of hard to grow corn in a desert environment like this one.”

“Could be John Peters- you know, the farmer. He does keep a crop of imaginary corn.”

“Technically- scientifically- speaking, that would make it an imaginary corn maze.”

“Hopefully it’s nothing bad, like the carnival that was briefly where while you were in the Desert Otherworld. Although in hindsight everyone may have jumped the gun on that one.”

Carlos takes a sip of his coffee, but makes a noise of recognition. Neither of them like to think about that year these days. “Mm; I remember you told me about that."

To avoid going down a train of thought about The Worst Year Ever, Cecil changed the conversation to the new intern that had started at the station the other day. Astrid, if he remembered correctly. She was a nice intern, and Cecil did hope something wouldn’t happen to them so soon, but that was a risk all interns that were sent to him took.

For now, he would enjoy walking along with his boyfriend and chatting with him on what was shaping up to be a lovely fall day. As lovely as it could be in a desert.

When they got to the radio station, Carlos brought up the corn maze again. “There’s something about this whole corn maze thing that’s bothering me. I think I might send someone from the lab to go check it out, or… well, I might just go myself.”

“Sounds great. It seems harmless, based on your description, but you are a scientist, after all. You’d know if there’s anything to be concerned about, brilliant as you are.”

“Aw, Cecil.” Carlos smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Cecil gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll see you later in the evening.”

“Same to you. Say hi to Khoshekh for me.”

* * *

Leaving Cecil at the radio station so he could get set up for his show, Carlos returned to the lab. Upon arrival, he noticed there was another flyer for the corn maze taped to the front door. He pulled the flyer off, identical to the one Cecil had shown him at the coffee shop.

He heard something behind him, and Carlos turned just in time to catch another one of those pumpkin-headed people ducking behind a large cactus.

‘_Guess we know who’s putting up the flyers.’_ He thought, deciding to not question it and leave the person be. It wasn’t the weirdest thing that’s happened to him since moving to Night Vale.

Entering the lab, he found his team still at work. They were conducting various experiments and tests on whatever new strangeness decided to make itself known. This town was full of things that proved to be of scientific interest, as Carlos had quickly learned. One of his assistants noticed that he had returned and gave him a smile.

“Enjoy your lunch?” They asked. Their name was Morgan; a kind, curious, and young individual with scruffy auburn hair. They were one of his original crew that came with him to Night Vale; a college student just starting their senior seminar course work.

“Yeah, uh,” He looked at the flyer again and then back to Morgan. “Hey, have you or any of the others heard about the corn maze that apparently exists here now?”

“Oh, that. Yeah, I’ve been seeing flyers for it pop up all over town.”

“Me and Cecil found one when we went to get coffee, and there was one taped to the door when I got here. Looks like some people wearing pumpkins on their heads are putting them out.”

“I think I caught a glimpse of one of them.” Morgan then shrugged. “But Halloween does last an entire month here.”

“Maybe so, but… there’s something about this corn maze thing that feels off. I don’t even think this is one of the regular mandated Halloween festivities… unless something changed last year while I was away.”

“We live and work in Night Vale; seems par for the course. However, I see what you’re getting at. I walked by it on the way here and it gave off this weird vibe; silent except for the wind rustling the stalks every so often. Also it’s kinda hard to grow corn here, unless you’re John Peters- you know, the farmer- and have imaginary corn. And it _ did _appear overnight-”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Carlos interrupted. “It appeared_ overnight _?”

“Yup, because it certainly wasn’t there yesterday.”

“That’s… That can’t be. Corn mazes don’t just pop up overnight. You would have to grow the corn, first and foremost, and you have to plant the corn in such a specific way that it grows into the pattern you want for your maze. There’s tending to the crops and so on- this makes no sense. Are you sure it wasn’t there before?”

“I think I would remember a field of corn being next to the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex.”

Okay, now this was getting weird. Night Vale was weird in general, the most scientifically interesting town he’d ever seen; not to mention his home. However, the corn maze was nagging at him, especially now that Morgan told him it just appeared out of nowhere without any prior evidence that there was a corn field/maze. Another odd occurrence that was more like a regular occurrence in this town? Maybe. Still…

“It’s still pretty strange. Someone should investigate.” Carlos mused aloud.

Morgan leaned back in their chair and grinned. “Is that someone going to be you?”

“Scientifically speaking- Yes… And you’re coming with me.”

Their smile slipped off their face. “What?”

* * *

Intern Astrid handed him a stack of reports as he finished setting up and checking the equipment. At least they only had a light layer of dust and not in Morse code like last time. That had been so annoying.

“Thanks, Astrid.” Cecil thanked the intern, setting the reports on his desk.

Astrid shrugged nonchalantly. The intern, sent right from the Night Vale Community College, was wearing a shirt that said “JUSTIFY MY TECH” in an 80’s looking font, and floral printed pants that flared out on the ends. She was also wearing a red beanie that allowed her bangs to poke out from underneath. Though a quiet sort, Cecil found the intern to be a pleasant addition to the station. Even Khoshehk seemed to take a liking to Astrid (although he did warn Astrid against trying to take pictures of the floating cat).

“Can I make some coffee?” Astrid asked.

“Sure. Just be careful; it still spits hot coffee at people.”

She grimaced. “Great.”

When Astrid left to likely fight with the coffee machine, Cecil’s cell phone chimed. Picking up his phone, he saw that it was a new text from Carlos. Opening up his phone- a picture of himself and Carlos on the home screen of course- he pulled up the text from Carlos to see what it said.

> ** {Perfectly Imperfect Carlos <3}** Hey Cece. Going to investigate the corn maze down by the bowling alley. It somehow grew overnight.

Again with the corn maze. While the concept was still weird to Cecil, the fact it sprang up out of nowhere didn’t really phase him. But it somehow proved interesting enough for Carlos to want to study, which he found adorable.

He started typing a reply to the scientist…

> ** {Cecil}** Have fun studying corn. Show’s gonna start soon and Intern Astrid is making coffee.
> 
> ** {Perfectly Imperfect Carlos <3} **And you have a great show, Cecil. I’ll be listening in, but I’ll let you know what I find out about the corn maze <3
> 
> ** {Cecil} **xoxo

Oh how he loved his boyfriend. How he loved Carlos. How glad he was Carlos wanted to stay in Night Vale. How glad Cecil was not to be separated from him by an old oak door any longer. It had been months since the opera house review that was meant to be his last broadcast. But it was not his last, and he was reunited with Carlos that same night. Memories of a year without him still stung, despite it now being October, but he savored the presence of his love more than ever before.

Now that it was well into fall the could do all sorts of fun things. Go for walks in the autumn air, watch the flowers on cacti change color, partake in the annual pumpkin hunt-

Speaking of fall stuff…

Cecil dug out the corn maze flyer that was still in his coat pocket and looked it over again. It was an image of a corn field, with two rotting jack-o-lanterns on the ground. It read "Corn maze; located next to the bowling alley". Work of the underground city maybe? Hopefully not. They already tried to kill Carlos over two years ago. He’d rather not relive that day again any time soon.

He heard footsteps and looked up to see Intern Astrid returning with coffee. Looks like she didn’t get coffee spit at her by the machine, proving that her venture to acquire the drink was successful.

“Hey, Astrid,” Cecil held up the flyer. “Have you heard about this at all?”

“You mean the corn maze?” She replied. “Sure. Showed up next to the bowling alley. I keep seeing these weird people with pumpkins for heads putting up flyers for it. There was another on the door to the station when I got here.”

“Ever been to one? A corn maze.”

“No. I’ve never seen a corn maze in Night Vale. I don’t think there’s ever been one.”

“Huh. Then this makes it the first appearance of a “corn maze” in Night Vale... Listen, I’m about to start the show, but how would you like to get out there and report on the corn maze? It’s probably safe.”

Astrid looks down at her coffee and then back to Cecil. “Let me, uh, finish this coffee and then I’ll go.”

“Thank you, Astrid.”

The intern wandered off, closing the door to the on air studio behind them. The corn maze was definitely safe… probably. What was the worst that could happen?

The clock struck the hour and Cecil slipped his headphones on and flipped on the “on air” sign. He then turned on the mic and began to speak to all the people of the friendly desert community.

> _ “ Hello, dear listeners. _
> 
> _ A phenomenon called a “corn maze” has appeared next to the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex. Tall stalks of corn that tower above the average person, and yet have paths built into the field. It is apparently supposed to be some sort of attraction suited to this time of year, but since there has been no recorded instances of a corn maze before, let’s just keep calling it a phenomenon._
> 
> _ From what I can gather, dear listeners, is that a corn maze is simply a maze made out of a corn field. The objective is to find your way to the other side of the maze, all while dealing with existential dread that comes from wandering the inside. Sounds… interesting, I guess. I suppose there is some fun to be had with wandering a field of corn with little to no direction._
> 
> _ We got in touch with Teddy Williams, owner of the bowling alley, to see if we could get more information about this corn maze. “Does it look like I’m a farmer?” He said, poking at the corn with a bowling pin. “I have no idea where it came from, so don’t ask me if I know anything about it.”_
> 
> _ Now, there is some speculation around this corn maze- given that we are a desert community and this type of environment can make it hard to grow certain crops. Although, if you’ve got nothing better to do today, then head on down to the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex. You’ll find the corn maze there. More on this story as it develops._
> 
> _ Now, a look at traffic…”_

* * *

Yup; this corn maze was definitely not here yesterday.

It was exactly as Morgan had described to him upon initial questioning, also exactly like the one Carlos recalled in memory. Then again, he figured all corn mazes looked the same, except of course for whatever paths were carved into it. Like any other corn maze, there was nothing special about this one in appearance; just a plain old corn field next to the bowling alley. The stalks of corn were tall and silent, swaying gently to a passing breeze.

Carlos did notice an opening in the corn field though, the presumed entrance to the maze. A dirt pathway lead into the maze, hay bales on either side, and there was a worn sign above the opening of the maze that said “CORN MAZE”. It also included a painted picture of a disturbing looking jack-o-lantern being picked apart and eaten by a crow.

“You’re right, Morgan. This definitely wasn’t here yesterday.” Carlos said. Setting a bag of equipment down near the entrance of the maze. Morgan set down their own bag, and Carlos chanced a glance over to the entrance of the maze again.

This time he saw two of those people wearing the pumpkins on their heads. They didn’t run this time, just stared at Carlos. Cautiously, he tried giving a friendly wave, but the only response he got was one of the pumpkin head people, the shorter of the two, putting a picket sign in the ground that said “$5; corn maze”

Carlos turned away from them and unzipped the bag that contained his equipment. “Well, we’re definitely in the right place.”

As Carlos and Morgan continued to set up their equipment, people gradually started coming by to look at the corn maze. He knew some were possibly wondering what he was doing out here with all his fancy machines, but he ignored them. A corn maze that’s never been here before shows up- yeah, they’re gonna be curious.

“Uh, should we let them go in there?” Morgan asked, pointing to someone who had just entered the maze (after paying the $5 of course).

Carlos shrugged. “We haven’t yet proved that there’s anything to be worried about. I doubt they’d listen if we tried to stop them anyway.”

“True.” Morgan’s gaze drifted away from him and their expression shifted, seeming to spot something behind him. “Oh, hey, is that an intern from the radio station?”

Carlos looked behind him to see two people conversing with each other. One was wearing a red beanie, held a voice recorder and had a pin on their shirt that read NVCR.

“Must be. Cecil did tell me there was a new one; he probably sent her out to see the corn maze and talk to a few people. He said her name is Astrid.” He waved her over. “Hey, Astrid.”

The intern looked over at the sound of her name, bid the other person goodbye, and walked over to him. She said, “You must be Carlos. Cecil talks a lot about you.”

“Yeah, he does that.” He smiled at her. “So, yeah- you know me. And the other one here with me is my assistant, Morgan.”

“Hey!” Morgan said cheerfully. “I like your name.”

A little smile played on Astrid’s lips. “Hi.” She looked back to Carlos. “What are you two doing here? Science stuff?”

“Exactly.” Carlos started to explain. “You see this corn maze here? It wasn’t here yesterday, so me and Morgan are going to study it. A corn maze doesn’t just pop up in the night, although considering this is Night Vale, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. I mean, the Whispering Forest grew to where it is now in the span of three days.”

“Interesting. I’m just here to report, but if you find anything I’d be glad to make a note of it.”

“Of course. We’re both going to be hanging around here for a bit. And we got Cecil’s show on the mini radio to keep us entertained, though I usually always listen to his broadcasts.”

“Hm. That’s sweet of you.” She looked around the area for a moment, fiddling with the recorder in hand. Carlos figured this was her first time out in the field. “I’m going to talk to some more people. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Astrid wandered off, though Carlos noticed Morgan was still gazing after her.

“Well, she’s, uh, neat.” They muttered, flashing a smile.

“Cecil did say Astrid was doing good so far. Maybe we’ll see her again.”

Morgan sighed regretfully. “We both know 95% of the time interns meet a terrible fate.”

“You never know. Besides, this corn maze is weird, but I don’t think there’s anything harmful in there...yet. Speaking of which, let's get to investigating.”

“Heh. Sure thing.”

Carlos smiled, reminded vaguely of when he had first moved here and heard Cecil talking about him on the radio. Granted that, at the time, Carlos had just moved to this town and hardly knew the radio host, it was a little jarring. Things had slowly changed over that one year, boiling over the day he nearly died at the bowling alley. The rest is history after that.

In the here and now, perhaps Morgan had taken a liking to the intern, which made him hope Astrid lasted longer than most interns, based on that possibility.

Meanwhile, as he was turning on one of his machines, he again caught sight of the pumpkin headed people standing at the entrance to the maze. They were still there, and still staring…

* * *

> “_ More flyers for the corn maze have been spotted across town; left behind by mysterious entities with pumpkins for heads. No one knows if they have any motives aside from attracting attention to the corn maze. All really anyone has been able to get is a glimpse of them, as they appear to be of a timid sort. Maybe leave out an offering of apples and try to gain their trust and secrets that way. _
> 
> _ In any case, these entities have succeeded in drawing people to the corn maze. Several people have wandered down to the bowling alley to see just what this is all about._
> 
> _ This has also managed to catch the attention of a couple of scientists. Carlos- sweet, wonderful Carlos- and one of his assistants have arrived at the corn maze to study it… for scientific reasons. Apparently something like this appearing overnight warrants a study. But he is a scientist… and a hero…. And my boyfriend… so I trust his judgment._
> 
> _ I’ve also sent our new intern, Astrid, over to the corn maze to do some reporting of their own. She started her internship with us a few days ago, so we wish them luck in their first reporting endeavor._
> 
> _ Time to take a look at the community calendar…”_

* * *

An hour or so had gone by since Carlos and Morgan had set up shop outside the corn maze and started their investigation. They started by taking samples of the corn at the edge of the field, and once a suitable about of samples had been gathered, they started running experiments and tests.

All the while, the mini radio was still tuned to Cecil’s broadcast, allowing Carlos to listen to his boyfriend while he worked. He enjoyed listening to Cecil when he was on the air; his voice was so nice and smooth and soothing. At the moment he was saying something about how the moon was weird and Carlos couldn’t help but smile to himself. His dear Cecil was really stuck on that one.

People were still coming by the corn maze; some observing it, some stepping forward and quickly hitting the corn with their hand, and some entering the maze. Carlos hadn’t seen anyone come out of the maze yet, but he could hear footsteps from somewhere inside the corn; hushed voices and the rustling of corn stalks. Logically speaking (and scientifically), the exit to the corn maze was probably on the other side of the field. It didn’t register as a concern, as Carlos kind of wanted to find out if there was something that had supercharged the growth of the corn.

The people with pumpkins on their heads were still hanging around as well. It was obvious by now they had been responsible for putting the flyers for the corn maze now, although the two by the entrance didn’t try and hide like the others. Honestly, they creeped Carlos out, but they weren’t as creepy as some of the soulless children sent by City Council that sometimes ended up at the radio station (or the lab on a couple occasions). Though creepy, Carlos didn’t mind as long as they didn’t interrupt the research he and Morgan were conducting.

Astrid was wandering the area, interviewing more people about the corn maze. Carlos noticed Morgan kept glancing over at her from time to time as well. At present, Astrid was trying to talk to the two pumpkin wearing people that were at the maze entrance. Unfortunately, they weren't having much luck in getting even a single word from them. Eventually Astrid wandered off again.

“Okay- Carlos, this is weird.” Morgan announced. They were looking at a readout from a piece of their equipment on a clipboard.

“What is it?” He asks, looking over their shoulder.

“Actually probably more accurate to say there’s a lack of the weird here. According to this analysis, this is regular corn.”

“Just regular corn? No accelerated growth or anything else out of the ordinary?”

“Nope.”

“Huh.” He looked over the analysis. Morgan was right, but that did nothing to shake the nagging feeling he’s had about the corn maze ever since seeing that flyer. “Well, lets just catalog the properties of this corn anyway. Maybe we can find out how someone managed to grow this field in the desert. Although, for all we know this could be just as bad as the ‘oranges’ that clone of John Peters had.”

“I seriously doubt this is another Strex crop scheme.” Morgan retorted with a skeptical look. “But in a town like this, I guess there’s no harm in making sure it’s not gonna do anything like make people vanish out of existence. It’s still giving off this weird vibe.”

“Usually there’s nothing weird about corn mazes.” Then he jokingly said. “Are you afraid of corn mazes?”

The assistant huffed. “No, that’s stupid… They just poke at my claustrophobia. But like I said- weird vibes.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t send you in there to collect samples. But honestly, I get it. I said it before- There’s something off about all this.”

Part of Carlos hoped that he would be wrong about this feeling, but this was Night Vale. There was a high chance this was more than just a corn maze. Hopefully, when the true nature of this thing decided to blow up in his face, it wouldn’t be too bad. Worse things have happened, after all.

Continuing on with the investigation, he sent Morgan out to go take a quick walk around the maze, just to see how big it was. This left Carlos back with all the equipment, to continue analysis on the corn and observing the people who went into the maze. Every readout said that this was just normal corn, but even those answers left questions. Who was responsible for putting this corn maze here? And for what purpose? Was it tied to the people wearing pumpkins on their heads? Actually, that was likely.

His scientific wondering was interrupted by a quicker rustling noise from the corn next to him, like someone was running. Carlos didn’t think much of it, though he did glance up because he thought it was Morgan coming back. It was still just him here though, so he brushed it off as nothing.

A minute or so later, the noise came again, and something else happened that did catch Carlos’s attention. He heard a commotion and when he looked to see what was going on, he saw someone dash out of the entrance of the maze, looking panicked. The two pumpkin headed people looked at each other and shrugged. Another person tried wandering back out the same way after, put the two pushed them back in and poked them with a stick until they ran away.

And this was the part where things started to get out of hand.

“Carlos!”

He turned and saw Morgan rushing over to him. Their hair was disheveled and their lab coat was partially falling off.

“Morgan, are you okay?” He asked.

“I’m fine, but… but this… it’s-”

“Catch your breath and then tell me, okay?”

They took a moment to get air circulating through their lungs properly, and then spoke. “We have a problem. This maze has to exit.”

Carlos started at her. “What?”

“No exit.”

“But every maze has an exit, even corn mazes! If there’s no exit, then what’s the point?”

“I don’t know,” Morgan panted, still sounding a bit out of breath. “but I… I circled the whole perimeter; There is no other opening. There’s something else too. I kept hearing strange sounds and at one point something tried to grab me from the corn maze. I think… I think it was a damn scarecrow!”

“Wait, a scarecrow?”

And as if on cue, there came a scream from the direction of somewhere in the corn maze.

‘_And here we go.’_ Carlos thought with a feeling of dread.

* * *

> “_There’s some odd reports coming in about the corn maze next to the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex._
> 
> _ Sounds have been heard from inside the maze. Those pumpkin-headed people have been seen now standing idly by the maze, and dark birds have been seen perching on the roof of the bowling alley. _
> 
> _ A few people have managed to find an exit to the maze, but as it turns out, there is no exit. They were wandering around for what they said felt like hours looking for the way out, only to find that they were going in circles. And even when they found the entrance, the pumpkin headed-people tried to keep them in._
> 
> _ Those who have escaped have also spoken of hearing things and something moving within the corn; growls and snarls and moving shadows. One such witness who escaped only said one word in a panicked breath. “Scarecrow.”_
> 
> _ Hm. Seems like things are getting pretty crazy down there. Not sure about the scarecrow part; scarecrows have not been seen or allowed in Night Vale since the crow incident of 1997. By the way, did you know a group of crows is called a murder? More updates to come…_
> 
> _ And now here’s a word from our sponsors.”_

Cecil set the add to play, then noticed there was a couple new messages on his phone from Carlos. It was a couple updates on his investigation of the corn maze.

> **{Perfectly Imperfect Carlos <3}** Corn is normal corn?
> 
> ** {Perfectly Imperfect Carlos <3}** Morgan says the corn maze has no exit and the pumpkin head people are acting weird.

Seems like Carlos was noticing the things happening down at the corn maze while he was doing his science thing too. While the add was still playing, Cecil quickly texted him back.

> **{Cecil}** Hear it’s getting crazy out there. Be careful, bunny <3

He smiled softly. Carlos would be fine, he was sure of it. And if anyone would figure out what was going on, it would be him. He was fine, and while Cecil was stuck here, he knew Carlos was not alone out there. He had his assistant with him, and Intern Astrid was there too.

Everything would be fine.

* * *

“Alright, forget the corn being normal corn, there’s something wrong about this corn maze.” Carlos insisted.

“Ditto to that.” Morgan agreed.

After further observation, and after hearing the updates Cecil was giving on the radio, the two scientists had moved their equipment slightly away from where they previously where set up. They were also keeping more of an eye on the pumpkin-headed people, as they clearly had something to do with what was going on. A few more of them had shown up too, making a group of five. Those weird noises, and the occasional scream coming from the corn maze, was heard more often now.

“What do you propose we do?” Morgan inquired, glancing back and forth between him and the maze.

“Aside from staying away from those guys? Well, I suppose we could just wait it out.” Carlos offered. “But those screams are unsettling. Ether that or we could try and figure out what’s really going on here. Scientifically speaking, what do we know?”

“That this corn maze appeared overnight and then these pumpkin heads started putting flyers out.”

“Right, that means they’re directly tied to the corn maze, which seems completely normal on the outside.” Carlos started pacing. “People come out here, having never seeing a corn maze before, and of course they enter. Given that you found there is no exit, along with other developments, we can assume, these people might have purposely left out an exit.”

“If they left out an exit, then what’s the purpose of this corn maze.”

“I’m not sure yet, but it has to have something to do with the sounds we’re hearing from the corn maze. We seen a few people make it out, but as I observed before you got back, those people over there don’t want them to leave if they can help it. I texted Cecil about it, see if he’s heard anything else, but he just replied “Be careful, Bunny”, followed by a heart.”

“ ‘Bunny’? That’s cute. Speaking of- Cecil mentioned someone made it out saying something about a scarecrow.”

“Probably heard it from Astrid since she’s out here reporting. That’s another thing though; what do scarecrows have to do with this and the pumpkin-headed people?”

“Hey, let me go!” Another voice suddenly cried out. “I was just asking a question!”

Carlos and Morgan looked over to the sound to find Intern Astrid trying to get away from the pumpkin-headed people, one of them having a tight grip on her arm.

“Whoa- hey-” Carlos rushed over to help her, trying and free her. Morgan accompanied him as well. “She didn’t do anything! Let go!”

The shorter of the two pumpkin heads kept pulling on Astrid’s arm, towards the corn maze. And now the taller one was trying to push Carlos away from Astrid.

“Get off!” Morgan snarled, jumping in and trying to keep the taller one from interfering. “Leave Astrid alone!”

The pumpkin-headed people then changed tactics, involving the other three who had just been standing by before. One elbowed Morgan in the stomach before pushing them away. Carlos looked to them, distracted and letting his guard down, which was enough time for him to receive a kick to his shins from another. In the same moment, Carlos was pried away from Astrid and pushed back.

Carlos fell back, pain still flaring up his leg, but looked up in time to see the group pick up Astrid. Carlos got back to his feet and lunged at them, intending to free Astrid, but just before he got to them she was tossed over into the field of corn.

“No!” Carlos tried to go after her, but now he was the one being held back by the group. He struggled against them, but then Morgan came up and put themselves between him and these others. They punched out two of the pumpkin-headed people and pushed them to the ground, leaving them unconscious. The other three scattered.

“Shit- Astrid!” Morgan yelled looking back to the maze and breaking into a run.

“No, wait-” Carlos tried to grab at their arm, but Morgan was just out of reach. He stumbled trying to catch them and hold them back, and ahead of him they took off down the dirt path and into the corn maze. “Morgan!”

Morgan disappeared out of view and Carlos stared after where they had been. First Astrid, and now Morgan. He worried for the both of them, knowing now what this corn maze was. He could hope they would wander back out, but… there was something in that corn maze.

“Dammit.” Carlos muttered, before dashing into the maze after them.

* * *

Morgan didn’t like this. They didn’t like this one bit.

Morgan did have a bit of claustrophobia, which wasn’t helped by wandering the corridors of a corn maze. It had gotten better in recent years though, which may have been in part with all the weird and scarier things that existed in Night Vale, and corn mazes weren’t enough to make them freeze up.

And the sky- the sky and the void were above them. It was a slight comfort.

The corn maze around them was quiet, and considering the observations, it might not have been the best idea to rush blindly into this corn maze. They had run in here and down a couple different directions on the basis of trying to find someone they had only just met.

Anyway, it had been a few minutes since they had run in here, and so far not a trace of Astrid. They hoped the intern was okay…

Walking down another path, Morgan suddenly heard a snap from behind them. They froze, then quickly turning to look behind them.

“Hello…?” They cautiously called out. “Astrid? ...Carlos?”

This was not good. Their heart was beating harder in their chest; the paranoia and fear increasing. They remembered something that had tried to grab at them from inside the maze, and now they felt like something was here with them.

Their brain was telling them to run.

Another snap, closer and sounding right by them.

Startled, Morgan took out into a run again. Forget Astrid- interns from the radio station suffered a terrible fate 95% of the time. They’d been foolish to run into this maze after her.

They needed to get out of here.

Taking off down another path, they tried to remember the way back, but then they tripped on something. Morgan fell to the ground, their body aching all over with the impact.

Morgan lay there for a few moments before even trying to move, still hurting from the fall. They didn’t think they had broken anything, but their lab coat was dirty and they would definitely have some bruises.

When they tried to sit up, they finally got to see what they had tripped over. When they saw what it was, their eyes went wide.

“Astrid?!”

* * *

> _ “...And apparently the pumpkin-headed people have tossed Intern Astrid into the corn maze and she has not been seen since. Given the reports, it is likely whatever is in the maze of corn got her or she is eternally lost within._
> 
> _ To the family and friends of Intern Astrid: She was a good intern, and a friend to our resident floating cat, Khoshekh. She will be missed.”_

Cecil sat back, allowing himself a moment of silence for poor Astrid, before moving on to the new reports that were coming in about the corn maze. Interns were always coming and going, the latter most of the time being random horrific instances of happenstance. After a while, it was just something you got used to. Shame she was gone so soon.

Moving on- yes, the new reports about the corn maze. Things were escalating down there by the looks of it. 

> _“As it turns out, there are actual sentient scarecrows in the maze that are hunting those who wander around inside. It is unclear how many are inside the maze, and those who have returned from the depths of the field are giving conflicting reports. It is also unclear, if these scarecrows are related to the pumpkin head people or if it is just a coincidence. Several people have already entered the maze, with few exiting at all. Only the occasional scream can be heard from inside the maze now; the screams of those being sacrificed to the scarecrows that lurk inside.”_

Yup, this was definitely escalating. Hopefully Carlos was staying safely away from the chaos. He had to be.

A scientist was always fine, right?

Cecil shook it off and kept reading the report. Of course Carlos was fine.

And then...

“Among those who have vanished into the maze also include...” Cecil’s words trailed off mid sentence, seeing on the paper what he already feared. “….Th-The two scientists that were there conducting research on the corn…”

Carlos and Morgan.

Carlos.

Cecil didn’t know exactly what was going on inside that dreaded corn maze, but he couldn’t help but be fearful for Carlos at this news. Nor could he help the anxiety that flooded through him.

Though it had only been a few months since the events of the opera house and Carlos returning to him, sometimes Cecil worried that this was all just a dream and he would wake to find this reality shattered. He didn’t want to be without the person he loved more than anything in this world. “A scientist is always fine” Carlos often said, and it was something that always made Cecil feel better, but knowing both he and his assistant had disappeared into the corn maze, made him worry that everything was not fine at all.

He had to-

“I’m sorry, listeners-” He quickly said. “I shouldn’t leave, but… but I only got Carlos back a few months ago, and I will not loose him to some corn maze! I can’t-”

He set the sound board to automatic and readied up the weather.

“As I go to face the horrors of the corn maze, I take you all now, to the weather.”

(~Today’s weather: The Everyday Push, by Photay~)

* * *

"Morgan!" Carlos called out. "Astrid!"

Carlos stood at a fork in the path, wondering which way to go. He had tried calling for them before, but all he could hear around him was the shuffle of corn stalks as the wind brushed through them. If they heard him somehow and were calling back, their voices did not reach him. 

He didn't have to come in here, but Morgan was part of his team. He had to at least try.

The question was, could he find them before whatever was in here decided to mark him as prey?

_'No. A scientist is always fine.'_ Carlos assured himself. However, after what he's learned from this place, he's not so sure he's fine in here at all. But all he has to do is keep his eyes open for any signs of movement, right? Listen for any sounds that might be anything to worry about, right?

He looked down the right hand path and decided to continue that way. 

A bird of some sort flew over head as he turned down the path and he had to stop, startled by the noise it made. Upon realizing it was just a bird, he took a deep breath and continued on.

He was starting to get the feeling someone or something was watching him.

The second he found Morgan he was just going to not bother trying to retrace the path; run off through the corn with them instead until they reached the open air.

That was if he found Morgan...

* * *

Cecil wasted no time in grabbing his coat and dashing out of the radio station. The Desert Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex wasn’t too far from here, so hopefully he could make it on foot before the scarecrow in the corn maze could devour his boyfriend. Soon enough he arrived at the site of the corn maze. A quick glance around revealed equipment left behind by probably Carlos and Morgan and two of the pumpkin-headed people lying unconscious on the ground next to the entrance to the corn maze.

“Carlos?” He called, hoping for a response, though he knew none would come back.

Cecil saw the path leading into the corn maze, into where Astrid, the lab assistant Morgan, and now Carlos had disappeared into. He knew if he wanted to find Carlos, that’s where he needed to go.

‘_Here goes nothing.’ _He thought, taking a step forward.

Cecil entered the maze, following a path that curved inward into the field. It wasn’t long before he was presented with a crossroads. He was aware this was a maze, so this was to be expected. He turned left, going down a new path. Corn surrounded him on all sides, towering and even seeming to dim the light from the sun.

So this is what a corn maze was; directionless paths in a repeating landscape with hungry scarecrows lurking somewhere within the corn. Cecil was also aware of the scarecrows, but he had to find Carlos. He worried that, like Astrid, Carlos was forever lost and wandering, or the scarecrow got him. However if the former was true, then he should run across Carlos eventually right?

At some point in his search, Cecil heard a close rustle of something and stopped. Wondering as to what that noise could be, he looked around for anything that could have made that noise. There was nothing that, but he did worry there was now a scarecrow now stalking him; waiting to pounce on him.

When he turned back around to continue on, he caught a glimpse of someone passing through a crossroads. Normally, that might have startled him, but in that brief glimpse, he had seen something that caught his attention.

The white flash of a lab coat.

“Carlos?”

Cecil moved quickly, trying to catch up with whoever he saw. Could it be Carlos? 

He hurried forward down the path, but at the end he came across more branching paths. With that, he also lost sight of who he was trying to follow.

“Carlos!” He called out again, but still with no response.

Well, actually…

There was another rustle, and the snap of a twig. Cecil flinched, trying to remain calm. Everything was fine, and he was going to find Carlos, and-

There was a growling noise… coming from somewhere in the corn next to him.

“Uh, right!” He decided, turning down one of the paths in a run. That noise- it had to be a scarecrow! He still had no idea if it was one scarecrow in here or, void help him, a pack of them. All he knew was there was indeed a scarecrow in here, he had to find Carlos and get him out of here.

Cecil turned a corner quickly, but as he did, his body collided with something and next thing he knew, he was on the ground.

After a dizzying moment, he tried to get up, but the he also realized there was another body below him, indicated by a groaning sound from this other person. He looked down to see who it was, and his breath caught in his throat.

Carlos. It was Carlos; hair messy (but still perfect), lab coat dusted up, and glasses knocked sideways.

“Carlos? Carlos, are you alright?” He tried.

Carlos squinted up at him, but then there was recognition, and the relief. He whispered out, “Cecil.”

A grin broke out on Cecil’s face, and he leaned down to kiss the scientist’s cheek. “You’re alive, thank the void.”

“Cecil.” Carlos said again, this time with a hint of a smile. Cecil sat back on the ground and then helped Carlos sit up as well. “You’re here. What are you doing here?”

“I’ve got the weather on; it’s fine. One of my reports said you, Morgan, and Astrid disappeared into the corn maze.” Cecil told him, cupping the scientist’s face in his hands after he adjusted his glasses. “I was worried you were lost forever or one of the scarecrows killed you.”

“Oh Cecil.” Carlos adjusted his glasses and took the radio host’s hand as they got up off the ground. “My brave, Cecil...”

Cecil wanted to kiss him again, but when he opened his mouth to say “I love you” first, there was again the sound of a growl and a snarl. It caught both of their attention and slowly, they turned and saw something had stepped out of the corn.

A scarecrow.

“Cecil, through the corn!” Carlos shouted to him, tugging at his arm.

“What?” Cecil exclaimed. “But shouldn’t we stay on the p-”

“There’s no time. Come on!”

The scarecrow started to move closer to them, and Cecil allowed Carlos to pull him into the wall of corn.

They ran as fast as they could through the stalks; trying to get as far away from the scarecrow as they could and never letting go of each other’s hands. They didn’t know if that thing was still following them. They didn’t know which direction they were going, but they had to reach the outside of this maze at sometime, right?

Then…

Suddenly the surroundings of corn ended and they stumbled out into the open. There was Carlos’s science equipment and the two unconscious pumpkin-headed people Cecil had seen when he first got here. By some luck they had ended up back at the beginning.

Cecil looked back toward the maze. “I… I think we lost it.” He looked back to Carlos. “I’m so glad you’re safe, and- Oh, honey, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Carlos looked a bit sad. “I’m okay, but… my assistant. Morgan ran in there looking for Astrid after those guys with the pumpkin heads over there tossed her in.”

“I know about Astrid. I’m sorry about Morgan though...”

And at the mention of their name, there was another rustle of corn. Cecil and Carlos both turned to the noise, expecting a scarecrow, but much to their surprise, something else happened.

Someone did come out of the corn maze, the same way Cecil and Carlos had, but instead of a scarecrow, it was Carlos’s assistant, Morgan. And to an even bigger surprise, they had Astrid with them; one of the intern’s arms slung around Morgan’s shoulders. She looked to be just barely conscious.

“Morgan! Astrid!” Carlos exclaimed, letting go of Cecil’s hand so he could help out his assistant, who looked like they were limping.

“You found Astrid?” Cecil asked, going to them to help them lay Astrid on the ground.

“Tripped over her in the maze.” Morgan panted. “I had to pry her out of some roots, but then she began to cough up hay. She’s got a couple vines wrapped around her arm and such too.

Cecil took a look at the Astrid. “Oh dear. Looks like she was poisoned by a scarecrow.”

“What?” Carlos asked. “_Poisoned by a scarecrow_?”

“Well, all scarecrows are poisonous.”

“Of course they are.” There was a hint of sarcasm in Carlos’s voice, but it was fine. Carlos wasn’t originally from Night Vale and had been only living here for the past few years. Cecil could forgive him for not knowing that.

“Okay, um… I’ll take her to the hospital.” Morgan said, looking up at Carlos. “Get the equipment?”

“Yeah, sure. Take the car, I’ll get this stuff taken care of.”

Cecil watched as Morgan bent down and whispered something to Astrid before helping her sit up. He decided to leave them be and return to Carlos once more.

“I should be getting back.” He said to the scientist. “I need to finish the show.”

“I know. Go ahead; we’ll be fine here. I’ll get someone from the lab to help me pack up before this corn maze gets inevitably torched to the ground.”

“Alright. I love you.”

“I love you too; I’ll see you in a bit.”

* * *

> _“I have returned from the corn maze, listeners. All in one piece; safe and whole. I am also glad to report that Carlos, who had disappeared into the corn maze, along with his assistant, Morgan, are safe. _ _Yes- I ventured in_ _side the _ _maze, eventually running into Carlos, literally, and escaped with him by my side. _ _Much to my surprise, I also learned that Intern Astrid is still alive, _ _carried out of the maze by Morgan_ _, although she was poisoned by a scarecrow, so… yeah. She’s at the hospital right now, so we’ll see how that works out._
> 
> _ The corn maze situation is under control. Sheriff’s Secret Police have apprehended the pumpkin-headed people, who were in fact the ones behind the corn maze. As it turns out, this corn maze was set up to lure people into it as part of a ritual. Also, there was one scarecrow found in the corn maze, which has since been destroyed. The scarecrow belonged to the pumpkin-headed people and was apparently part of their ritual. Not much else was gained from these beings, as they soon after collapsed into heaps and their pumpkin heads rotted. Meanwhile, their bodies turned to leaves, and they were gone, just like that._
> 
> _ Well, I for one am glad that the corn maze, with it’s scarecrows and mysterious pumpkin wearing entities are gone. While the scarecrow did get a few people, most who entered ended up eventually running through the corn and off the path to get out, like me and Carlos did to escape the scarecrow that would have certainly eaten us._
> 
> _ The strange things that happen this time of year, listeners. Here in Night Vale, we, of course, have a month long celebration of Halloween, although, as shown today, the universe can still present us with even stranger things...”_

* * *

He breathed a sigh of relief after he switched off the mic. Another day done, another horror of the universe overcome. Everything was fine and as it should be.

Carlos came by to pick him up from the station, so after putting on his coat and saying goodnight to Khoshekh, he left; out into the light of the setting sun and to his boyfriend. After giving him a kiss in greeting, they both got in the car and headed home.

“Astrid’s gonna be okay.” Carlos told him on the way back. “The vines are kind a permanent thing though.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Cecil replied. "Not the vines, but you know what I mean.

“Yeah. Seems like this kind of thing has happened before; something about a murder of crows back in 1997. Anyway, she’ll be fine, and Morgan’s here with her, since the doctors wanted to make sure they weren’t poisoned too. Last I saw, Astrid was half-awake and watching a movie with them.”

“What kind of movie?”

“I’m… not entirely sure. All I caught of it was someone in a red jacket weilding a lazer beam and fighting someone with psychic powers, who was dodging the attacks. I think it’s a movie Morgan brought with them when we came out here. Astrid seems to like it though.”

They continued chatting idly for the rest of the drive home, talking about anything that didn’t involve that horrible corn maze. Carlos also offered to make dinner for them both, but Cecil insisted on doing it instead, telling the scientist he should just relax tonight after the events of today. Carlos relented, giving a laugh that made Cecil’s heart melt.

When they got home, Cecil stopped him as they got out of the car. “Sorry again about the whole, you know, literally running into thing.”

Carlos shrugged. “It’s okay. I don’t think ether of us expected it. I was distracted at the time too, so I never saw you.”

Cecil glanced him over, seeing that his labcoat was still dirty with dust. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No! Of course not.” The scientist reassured him. “I only had the air knocked out of my lungs for a few moments. Nothing was broken or anything. Even so, I know you didn’t mean to run into me like that.”

“Your labcoat-”

“I’ll wash it. It’s fine, Cecil. I… I didn’t properly thank you back there. Thank you for coming after me. I wasn’t expecting you to, but I’m glad you did. I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“You were trying to find your assistant, I understand. It wasn’t your fault they ran in after Astrid. I’m just glad you’re safe and alive and here with me.”

“I am too.” Carlos pulled Cecil closer to him, close enough that they could rest their foreheads together.

Together.

Such a pleasant word; a pleasant feeling.

“I don’t think I can look at corn mazes the same way after today though.” Carlos muttered, his eyes closed.

“I don’t think we’ll be seeing any around here any more, if that helps.” Cecil replied. “Come on- I told you I’d make dinner tonight so you can relax.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Intern Astrid is not dead... yet. I may or may not have plans for her.  
(also the text on her t-shirt is a reference to one of my fav. vaporwave songs)


End file.
